Ship and method of construction



Jan. 16, 1968 A. M. ZEIEN 3,363,597

SHIP AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION Filed July 27, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet lFABRICATION ERECTION k FITTING OUT (MAKING OF (ASSEMBLY U M(INSTALLATION BLOCKS ON OF BLOCKS '8 OF EQUIPMENT LAND) ON WAYS) H ATDOCKSIDE) 2/ 22 OLD METHOD Z3 24 FIG.

3'! NEW METHOD 3'5 m I FABRICATION ERECTION OF BLOCKS (ASSEMBLYINSERTION FOR HULL OF HULL OF CRID ENVELOPE (ON WAYS) ONLY (ON LAND ONWAYS) k 34 35 FABRICATION W OF GRID I LAUNCH (0N LAND) 36 ?7 I 7FABRICATION INSERTION OF MODuLEs 7 OF MODULES (ON LAND) (AT DOCKSIDE)FITTING OUT (INTERCONNECTINC OF MODuLEs AT DOCKSIDE) INVENTOR.

ALFRED M. ZEIEN F/fi. .2 BY

ATTORNEX Jan. 16, 1968 A. M. ZEIEN SHIP AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 27, 1966 INVENTOR. ALFRED M. ZEIEN fljwfli wfiA r TOR/V5 Y Jan. 16, 1968 A. M. ZEIEN 3,363,597

SHIP AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION Filed July 27, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR. ALFRED M. ZEIEN WZWAM ATTORNEY Jan. 16, 1968 A. M. ZEIEN SHIPAND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 27, 1966 FIG. /0

INVENTOR. ALFRED M. ZEIEN ATTORNEY Unite States 3,363,597 SEEP ANDMETHGI) F CONSTRUCTION Alfred M. Zeien, Norwell, Mass., assignor toGeneral Dynamics Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of DelawareFiled July 27, 1966, Ser. No. 568,251 14 Claims. (Cl. 11465) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLGSURE This invention relates to a novel method of constructing,assembling and fitting out a ship.

In methods of ship building up to the present day, there has been steadyprogress toward more efiicient assembling of the parts of the ship.Originally, as in the days of wooden ships, the frame of a ship was laiddown on the ways and the plates of the ship, inside and outside, wereattached to the frame on the ways. However, the major bottleneck in anyshipyard is the available amount of way space, and since this originalmethod of construction had everything taking place on the ways, it haddecided limitations. The panel method of construction improved on theplate and frame method by attaching some of the plates such as theexterior plates to parts of the frame prior to assembly of the frame.This succeeded in removing some of the construction time from the waysbut still required all interior construction to be done on the Ways. Theblock method superseded the panel method by making of whole sections ofthe ship on land and making these sections or blocks complete in and ofthemselves. These were then moved to the ways and attached. This methodhad the severe drawback for ships requiring many interior sections suchas passenger ships, of having so many blocks that a substantial amountof time was taken on the ways in attaching the blocks together.Consequently, the trend continued toward larger and larger blocks formedon land, before assembly on the ways, until the point of diminishingreturns was reached. At the present time, blocks as large as a third ofa ship may be assembled on land and moved to the ways for assembly. Thecomplexities involved in moving such huge pieces increase the costs ofconstruction more than the savings in time on the Ways. Consequently,then it is considered that the block method of construction has reachedits logical limit. If further improvements are to be made, a wholly newl'ipproach must be made to the problem of ship assem- The presentinvention provides a novel approach to ship building which reduces thetime on the ways to a minimum without involving the transport of hugeblocks from fabrication to the ways. According to the present invention,a hull envelope is constructed on the ways from blocks of an optimumsize. Within the hull envelope, as assembled, there is a rectangularcenter space with vertical side walls occupying most of the ship. Thiscenter space is divided into compartments by bulkheads for reasons ofship flooding integrity. Within each of these compartments, while theship is on the ways or after launching, an open matrix of girders,substantially fitting each compartment, is lowered into it. After theboat is launched and brought around along side a dock, modulescomprising pre-assembled, self-contained units are lowered into gridopenings in the matrix by cranes on the dock and suspended from thegirders of the matrix within the ship. Connections between the modulesare made by transition pieces. However, design of the modules to be asself contained as possible is done so as to keep the inter-connectionsat dockside to a minimum.

Accordingly, it is a nobject of the present invention to provide amethod of ship construction which maximizes the proportion offabrication done on land without requiring the transport of huge blocksof ship parts.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method of shipconstruction which reduces the time spent on the ways to an absoluteminimum.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of shipconstruction which allows conversion of the ship rapidly from onefunction to another by replacing modules without an extensive amount ofreconstruction.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method of shipconstruction which permits removal of most of the superstructure of aship below deck, thereby providing greater seaworthiness and use of deckspace for other useful purposes.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a ship constructedby the above method.

Further objects of the invention will be seen by reference to thefollowing description together with the following drawings in which likenumerals represent like parts throughout:

FIGURE 1 shows a block flow diagram describing the old method of shipconstruction used up to the present day.

FIGURE 2 shows a block flow diagram of the new method according to thepresent invention.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of a ship hull envelope constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section of a ship according to the presentinvention taken along the lines 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation of a typical matrix according to the presentinvention.

FIGURE 6 is an elevation from below a typical module according to thepresent invention showing the internal parts thereof.

FIGURE 7 shows an elevation of a special type of module known as areefer space.

FIGURE 8 shows a section of a transition piece for connecting ductsbetween modules.

FIGURE 9 is a section of a typical support of a module on a girder ofthe matrix together with suitable connections to the module above.

FIGURE 10 shows a staircase module.

FIGURE 11 shows a variation of the means of supporting modules on thematrix girders according to the present invention.

FIGURE 12 shows a pictorial representation of a hull envelope floatingat dockside with a crane on the dock lowering modules into a matrixaccording to the present invention.

In FIGURE 1 is shown the method of construction used up to the present,the first step 21 of which comprises fabrication of as much of the boatas possible into as large blocks as economically possible. The next step22 comprises moving these large blocks from the fabrication area acrossland to the ways and assembly of the blocks into the ship. The thirdstep 23 is to launch the boat, thereby getting it off the ways andleaving them free for the the next ship. The fourth step 24 comprisesfitting out the ship at dockside by installation of all equipment whichcannot be contained within the huge blocks, and interconnection of theblocks.

In FIGURE 2 the new method according to the present invention isillustrated. The first step 31 on land comprises fabrication of theblocks which constitute a part of the hull envelope. These blocks aremade smaller than those of the old method thereby making it possible forinstallation on land of all equipment which is self-contained in each ofthese blocks. The second step 32 comprises moving of these smallerblocks across land to the ways, and assembly of the hull envelope. Theparts of the ship which are thus assembled are referred to as the shipshape and comprise those parts which contact the water itself. They arethe parts which must be assembled before the ship can float in thewater. In the third step 33 the matrix in inserted into each compartmentin the center of the ship. In the flow diagram of FIGURE 3, this isshown being done on the ways, but it may optionally be done after launchat dockside. The grid matrix has been fabricated in step 34 on landpreviously in either case. The method of the present invention requiresthat the hull envelope be constructed so as to be strong enough tosupport the ship without relying on decks or internal members. Theportion of the ship which supports the ship as a whole in the water asdistinguished from strength to hold machinery, etc., is called thesection modulus. The present invention relies on the blocks forming thehull envelope, as well as the bulkheads, to form this section modulus.The matrices inserted in the center of the ship are attached to the hullenvelope by any known means such as welding or bolting, but they are notrelied on as a portion of the section modulus.

The next step 35 in the method according to the present invention is tolaunch the ship and to bring it around dockside for fitting out. Atdockside the modules are inserted in step 36 into the matrix grid fromthe bottom up, that is, the modules at the bottom are put in placefirst. These modules have been previously fabricated on land in step 37and contain all internal parts necessary for the operation or use ofthat particular module. As each module is lowered into the matrix itrests on the girders of the matrix grid by flanges or supportinggirders, as will be shown subsequently. The module is then attached tothe girders by known means such as welding so as to make it structurallyfirm. At this point any equipment which is customarily left free of thewalls or hull of the ship itself, such as chairs, etc., may be loweredinto each module as it is fixed in place. The last step 38 according tothe present invention is the inter-connection of the modules. Themodules are designed to be self-contained to reduce thisinter-connection to a minimum. Interconnection is done by transitionpieces which will be illustrated below. Of course, after the interior ofthe ship has been constructed according to the present invention, thesuperstructure of the ship is installed as in the prior art.

In FIGURE 3 a hull envelope assembled is shown. Bow pieces 41 will beself-contained as posible, containing all pieces of equipment which mustbe contained in the how. The side wall structure is formed by blocks 42,43, and are separated at intervals by bulkheads 44, running the wdith ofthe ship. The base of the ship is formed by the bottom plates 45, onwhich the side walls 43 rest, as shown in FIGURE 4. At the rear of theship are the stern blocks 46. These will be designed to contain as muchof the propulsion equipment as is directly associated with the propellershafts. If the boat is gas turbine electric, the rear blocks 46 willcontain only the electric motor portion connected to the propellershafts, and the gas turbine engine providing the power for the ship willbe self-contained in another part of the ship, probably in one of theself-contained modules designed for the purpose. Interconnection of theelectric generator driven by the turbine to the electric motor caneasily be made by cable. In the bulkheads 44, above the level determinedby marine architecture principles relating to flooding integrity, therewill be pasageways 47 to provide communication from one compartment tothe next. These will be designed so as to match reasonably with thedecks formed by the modules positioned in the compartment. They will beprovided with suitable doors, not shown. Cables and conduits which mustof necessity run the entire length of the ship are positioned outside ofthe side wall blocks 42 behind the sheer strakes 48. These are shown byrepresentation in FIGURE 4. The base blocks 45 contain, as is customary,tanks 49 for holding water, oil, or ballast. Side tanks 50 in the sideblocks 43 are for the same purpose. These tanks as well as the cablesand conduits behind sheer strakes 48 will be connected to the inner partof the ship through appropriate conduits not shown and will be connectedwith the internal machinery by transition pieces which will be shownsubsequently.

FIGURE 5 shows a representation of a typical grid matrix 51. The gridopenings between successive girders permit the introduction of moduleswhich are suspended from the girders by flanges which will be describedbelow. This matrix is four modules high and is designed to permit fourmodules in one direction and two modules in the other direction. If amodule is typically 40 feet by 20 feet by 10 feet, the total size of amatrix 51 as illustrated in FIGURE 5 will be feet by 80 feet by 40 feet.In actual practice, there may be anywhere from 2 to 6 modules across thewidth of a ship, depending on the orientation of matrix '51. Theinternal width of the ship may be considered to run generally in therange from 80 to feet. Depending on the size of the ship as a whole,there may be anywhere from 4 to 8 compartments lengthwise. Thesecompartments lengthwise may contain a total of anywhere from 10 to 28modules. Although the representation of FIGURE 5 shows a plan of 2modules by 4 modules in the horizontal plane, or grid, a grid maycomprise 3 modules by 4 modules, or more. The limits on the size of thegrid are essentially determined by the limits on the size of eachcompartment within the ship, and these are determined by principles ofmarine architecture relating to the flooding integrity of the Ship.

The girders of the matrix 51 are shown representationally as rods butmay be formed by girders of any type such as T-beam, I-beam, U-beam,angle beam, or any other form of girder of suitable structural strength.Girders will be connected together by welding in a manner known in theart. Matrix 51 is fabricated on land by placing the top girders upsidedown on a level floor and welding the top grid. After vertical girdersare welded in place, using plumb lines, each successive grid is put inplace, taking care that all parts of each gird are on a level. When theentire matrix is complete, it may be lifted by crane, turned over, andinserted in a compartment. The matrix 51 as shown in FIGURE 5 is loweredinto a compartment of a ship, and each girder where it approaches a wallis welded in place to fix the matrix firmly into the hull envelope.Suitable girders may be welded to the internal walls of the compartmentto form supports for the outward extended flanges of the modulessupported in the grid openings on the edges or at the corners.

In FIGURE 6 is shown a typical module comprising a ceiling and deckpiece 52 which provides the main structural support for the module.Attached to the four edges of this ceiling piece 52 are flanges 53,which are attached securely enough to piece 52 to support the entiremodule on the four surrounding girders of the grid opening in which themodule rests. The module is then suspended within the matrix 51 byflanges 53, and all components within the module are suspended from theceiling piece 52. Equipment which must rest on the floor surface will beinstalled in advance on the top side of ceiling piece 52 of the modulebelow. There are shown in the module illustrated in FIGURE 6 outer walls54 and inner walls 55. Outer walls 54 will form the walls for theadjacent module as well as their own. Inner walls 55 divide the moduleinto compartments. Since, as mentioned before, the typical size of sucha module is 20 feet by 40 feet in J its horizontal plan, the moduleswill typically be far more sub-divided into rooms than is illustrated inFIG- URE 6. However, FIGURE 6 illustrates the manner in which this isdone. In the inner and outer walls 54 and 55 of the module are provideddoor openings 56 providing communications with the remainder of the shipand within the module. These will be provided with suitable doors notshown. Suspended from the ceiling piece 52 is a piece of machinery 57,shown, for example, as a fan. This piece of machinery 57 is powered by aelectric cord 58 which passes across the ceiling and down the wall toelectrical plug 59 which pierces the wall 54 and will be connected tothe next module or to a source of power after installation of the modulein the matrix 51. The fan 57 is also provided with a conduit 60 for airor other fluid. This conduit 60 is led to a wall bracket 61 where anopening is provided. The appropriate fluid will be provided through thisconduit 60 from the adjacent module by inter-connection with atransition piece which will be described subsequently. Although notshown, the conduit 60 might also have been led over to one of the edgesof the module not containing a wall and positioned in suitable positionfor inter-connection with a transition piece connected to the wall ofthe next module. There is also shown a piece 62 of electrical equipmentattached to the wall 54 of the module. This piece 62 of electricalequipment may be of any type whatever and is powered by a cord leadingto a plug 63 which also leads through the wall 54- to a source of power.If the piece 62 of electrical equipment is heavy, it will be supportedfrom the ceiling rather than hung from the wall for structural reasons.There is also shown within the module a double decker bed 64, which isattached to the wall. Beds and desks and any other equipment which isnormally rested on the floor but positioned up against a wall will besuspended from the walls for installation purposes. When the module ispositioned in place, extension legs can be positioned underneath the bed64 or other equipment to make it rest its weight on the floor, since itwould be too much of a strain to attempt to make the wall 54 carry theweight of persons and other equipment as well as the bed itself. Otherequipment which is normally stationed away from the walls will beattached in advance to the topside of the ceiling piece 52 of the modulebelow the module in question. The module as it is being lowered into thematrix 51 will contain exterior and interior walls suspended from it aswell as heavy equipment suspended from the ceiling piece 52 and lighterequipment 62 suspended from the walls and some equipment (not shown)positioned on the topside of it for use in the module above. There isalso shown in the module a ceiling light fixture 65 which is representedas fluorescent but which may be of any type which is compatible withship safety regulations.

It will be noted in FIGURE 6 that there is a space 66 between wall 55and flange 53 parallel to it. This space 66 is the means for providingin the modules themselves passageways for communications the length andwidth of the ship. Adjacent modules will have spaces in the same placesand/or spaces intersecting and running perpendicular with space 66 inthe module shown. By this means there are provided corridors in the shipwithout the necessity of providing separate spaces within the grid forhorizontal passageways.

In FIGURE '7 is shown a special kind of module 79 called a reefer space.It is a compartment or series of compartments in which temperatureand/or humidity must be controlled within narrow limits. One of thecompartments would, for example, be a freezer. Another would be a highertemperature refrigerator. For some applications, there might also be adry room. This kind of module must have a false floor due to the factthat insulation is provided in all the walls 71. As shown, there is ineach compartment a temperature or humidity controlling unit 72 which maytypically provide a heat exchanger. Conduit 73 will provide cold waterto carry oflt heat removed in the heat exchanger. Conduit 73 will extendthrough the outer wall 71 of the reefer space at which point afterinstallation of the modules there will be attached a transition piecefor connection to a cold water conduit in the adjoining module. There isalso contained in wall 71 an electric outlet '74 to provide power forthe heat exchanger. There is also provided a door 75 which will besuitably insulated for the compartment. There are shown three such doorsfor three separate compartments in which the temperature and/or humiditymust be kept at different values. Each compartment will carry its ownheat exchange unit 72 and, if necessary, humidity control unit alongwith suitable temperature and humidity sensing devices to control theoperation of the respective heat exchange units. When installed, thefalse floor of reefer space 70 rests a few inches above the ceilingpiece of the module spaced below. The reefer space 70 is designed to besuspended from its grid opening by its ceiling piece as with the regularmodules. There will be suitable base connections, not shown, to avoidgaps between the false floor of the reefer space 70 and the deck of themodule below.

In FIGURE 8 is shown a transition piece 83 for conduits carrying fluidsthroughout the ship, either liquid or gas. The transition piece 81 ismore or less cylindrical and has on each end a circular flange 82 whichmay be connected by either bolts or welding to the ends of conduits tobe joined. The center portion of the transition piece '81 containsundulations or bellows bends 82 to provide needed flexibility. Becauseof this flexibility, the two end flanges 82 may be compressed orexpanded or may be shifted laterally with respect to each other.Flexibility is vital in the present invention, because the modules,being suspended from the matrix rather than being part of the structuralframework of the boat, are subject to considerable lateral shifting withrespect to each other due to racking. This flexibility is not lost inspite of the fact that the transition piece as well as the conduits inthe modules are made of metal, due to the bellows design. Of course, forsome applications, rubber or other material may replace the metal in thebellows 83.

In FIGURE 9 is shown a means of connecting walls at their base to themodule below. Two modules 91 and 92 are shown with their flanges -53resting on a T-beam 94. A third module 93 has a lower portion of itswall extend ing down in line with the corresponding wall of module '91.As mentioned earlier, in order to provide fitting room, the wall ofmodule 93 is designed to end a few inches above the top of module 91. Toprevent gaps, baseboards 95 are connected by bolting, welding or anyother suitable means between the bottom end of module 93 and the top ofmodule itl. The same kind of baseboard link may be provided duringfitting out between a wall of one module and the adjoining wall of thenext module over in the same deck. Note also that T-beam 94 has a raisedcenter portion which is to provide a relatively narrow gap next to theend of the flanges of modules 91 and 92. These relatrvely narrow gapsmay be filled in with welding material, if desired. Generally, this isconsidered advisable to avoid gaps in the flooring.

In FIGURE 10 is shown a staircase module 101. This module, unlike theothers, extends the full height of the internal portion of the ship,providing the staircase for the entire four floors in one module. Theadvantage of this design is that the staircase module may be left outuntil last, thereby providing a communications column or access trunkthrough which all equipment may be lowered until every other module isin place and all movable equipment positioned therein. Alternatively, ofcourse, the staircase in each deck may be made a part of a larger moduleon that deck. The staircase module 101 as shown comprises a set of deckpiece 102 joined together by girders 1103 running the height of themodule. When all four decks are put together in one module, it isgenerally suitable to provide a bottom deck also to complete the module,but this is not necessary. When the module 1'91 is made complete in onemodule, it rests on the floor of the compartment and it is thereforeunnecessary to have flanges on the deck pieces 162. Each floor is asshown provided with a staircase 164, a stair opening 105, and a guardrail 106 around the staircase opening 105. Also may be provided, as iscustomary, guard rails extending down the staircase, not shown. When themodule is made complete in four floors, as shown, the length of it inthe direction of the staircase would be somewhere in the neighborhood of20 feet and it may be typically feed Wide. A special opening may beinserted in the grids to accommodate this or accommodation openings maybe created by placing shortened modules in one vertical set of gridopenings to provide a suitable column opening.

FIGURE 11 shows an alternative means of supporting module ceiling pieceson the girders of the matrix. T-beam 111 is a girder of a matrix 51.I-beams 112 and 113 are extensions of portions of the ceiling pieces ofthe modules. Although the ceiling pieces are then supported at fewerpoints than with the continuous flanges 53 previously described, thecontinuation of the I-beams forming a portion of the ceiling piecesthemselves provides a structurally firm foundation. This provides,however, wider gaps between adjoining modules and requires wide baseplates to cover such gaps in addition to the base plates 95 shown inFIGURE 9.

In FIGURE 12 is shown a representation of a boat 121 at dockside withits matrices 51, of which one is shown in place in a compartment. A cab122 is positioned on the dock next to the boat with suitable cranelifting equipment and a typical module 124 is shown being lifted abovematrix 51 to be lowered into place. The lowering of the module 124 intothe matrix 51 to be positioned in its appropriate place requires a gooddeal of skill in handling, but such skill is within the state of theart.

By the foregoing description there is shown a method of constructing aship in which a substantial portion of the equipment of the ship neednot be brought down to the ways at all, and yet the need for largeamounts of construction work, either on the ways or at dockside, iseliminated. Moreover, construction of the modules can be standardized inland based factories to a substantial extent by making numerous similarmodules for one ship or for corresponding portions of several ships withroughly similar functions. These similar modules can be made in theseland based factories by assembly line methods not available in previousship building construction methods. The capability of bringing assemblyline methods to ship building provides the economies which have beenavailable in other forms of construction such as land buildingconstruction. In addition, since the welding connections of the modulesare not hard to take out, ships which have been made up for one functioncan be rapidly converted to another function by lifting out modules andreplacing them by other modules designed for different functions. Forexample, a troop transport can be converted to a commercial passengership and vice versa. This provides a further advantage not previouslyavailable by enabling rapid conversion of ships from wartime purposes topeacetime purposes and vice versa. Yet another advantage is provided bythe present method of construction in that it is no longer necessary tohave substantial portions of the ship in a superstructure above deck.Under the old methods of construction, outfitting of large pieces ofequipment below deck was so difiicult that large superstructures werenecessitated simply to carry this large equipment above deck rather thanface the difiiculty of putting it below deck. With the method of thepresent invention, all such equipment may be lowered below deck and thesuperstructure will be restricted to those elements which must be abovedeck in any event, such as the pilot house, radar, gun armaments, andthe like. This eliminates large amounts of superstructure and freesvaluable deck space for other purposes.

What superstructure there is may be lifted onto the boat at dockside inmodule form after all below deck structure has been installed.

Accomplishment of the details of construction are known to persons inthe art. It will be understood that the above embodiments of theinvention are illustrative only and modifications thereof will occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention is not to be limitedto the specific apparatus and methods disclosed herein but is to bedefined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of ship construction comprising the steps of:

assembling blocks of ship portions to form a hull envelope; insertingwithin said envelope at of crossed girders; and

inserting within said matrix and suspending therefrom at least oneperformed module forming a portion of the internal structure of saidship.

2. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising, alter the step of assembling and before the step ofinserting said matrix, the step of launching said hull envelope.

3. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising, after the step of inserting said matrix and before the stepof inserting said module, the step of launching said hull envelope.

4-. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising the step of forming said matrix on land before insertion insaid hull envelope.

5. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 1, wherein aplurality of modules are inesrted in said matrix.

6. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 5, furthercomprising the step of forming said modules on land before insertion insaid matrix.

7. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 5, wherein saidmodules are suspended from girders of said matrix at points near theupper ends of said modules.

8. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 5, wherein at leastone of said modules contains a set of staircases extending the height ofsaid matrix, and further comprising the step of inserting said staircasemodule after the other modules to provide an access trunk duringinsertion of said other modules.

9. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 6, wherein the stepof forming said modules comprises the sub-steps of:

forming a load bearing fiat portion comprising a ceiling piece;

suspending from said ceiling piece all walls to be contained in saidmodule; and

suspending from said ceiling piece and said walls equipment to becontained in said modules.

16. A method of ship construction as recited in claim 9, furthercomprising the steps of:

connecting conduits running between modules after insertion in saidmatrix by transition pieces comprising flexible bellows pieces; and

laying conduits and electrical cables running the length of the ship inan indented portion of said hull envelope adjacent an upper edge.

11. A ship, comprising:

a hull envelope of preassembled blocks having at least one compartmenttherein having vertical side walls;

a preassembled matrix of crossed girders inserted in said compartment;and

at least one preassembled module suspended in said matrix, said modulehaving a load bearing ceiling piece,

least one open matrix Walls suspended from said ceiling piece andequipment suspended from said ceiling and Walls.

12. A ship as recited in claim 11, further comprising flanges extendingfrom said ceiling piece and resting on said girders, thereby forming thesupport for said modules.

13. A ship as recited in claim 11, further comprising a load bearinggirder forming a portion of said ceiling piece and extending beyond theedges of said ceiling piece to rest on the girders of said matrix tosupport said module.

14. A ship as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

conduits associated with said equipment extending to edges of saidmodules; and

transition pieces comprising flexible bellows pieces connecting conduitsof adjacent modules.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,368,441 1/ 1945 Bedford 114-655 2,963,310 12/1960 Abolins 114-72 2,985,131 5/1961 Knight et a1. 11472FOREIGN PATENTS 1,297,129 5/1962 France.

10 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner.

